Blog Historic Aerials -

Public Domain Day 2026

Why 1930 Sanborn Maps are in now in the public domain…and how the rules actually work Every January 1, a quiet but meaningful shift occurs in the historical record. Another

An Update on Our Free Viewer and Ad Blockers

Historic Aerials has always been built around a simple idea: historical aerial imagery should be easy to explore, searchable, and available to everyone. From the beginning, we’ve worked hard to

Aerial view of Koziar’s Christmas Village in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, illuminated with extensive holiday light displays at night

The Reindeer’s Eye View: America’s Christmas Towns

Some places celebrate Christmas. Others were, according to local legend, named by it. Christmas Eve Origins In both Santa Claus, Indiana, and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the stories begin on Christmas Eve.One

1928 aerial photograph of Manhattan showing the island, surrounding waterways, and dense urban development.

Edith Keating: Aerial Photography’s First Woman Pioneer

In 1925, Edith Keating was hired to type memos at Fairchild Aerial Surveys in New York City. It was a standard administrative role, but Keating proved to be a distracted

From the Toledo War to The Game: How a Misdrawn Map Fueled the Michigan–Ohio Rivalry

Three days from now, when Ohio State and Michigan line up for The Game, millions will tune in for a football rivalry. What they’ll actually be watching is the latest

The Secret Places Where New Cars Are Sent to Be Broken

As a new resident of Arizona, I’ve spent some time scrolling through aerial imagery of the surrounding landscape, examining the evolution of cities like Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa over the

Construction activity at the White House East Wing during demolition work for a planned new ballroom, October 2025.

White House Renovations: The Changing Face of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

To understand the significance of this latest addition, it helps to remember that the White House has been a work in progress since the early 19th century. Most presidents who’ve

How HistoricAerials Helps Authors Rebuild The Past

There’s a certain poetry to seeing the past from above. The faint outline of a gravel lot, the ghost of a screen’s shadow, the looping pattern of old car ramps.

Let’s Get To Know Each Other From Arizona With Aerials

Just a little announcement to make: my boxes have been packed and I’m heading west. The headline isn’t the highway, though. It’s the destination: I’m currently on my way to

How America’s Earliest Airfields Live On

Many of America’s earliest airfields and airports are now decommissioned or repurposed. Looking at modern satellite imagery, you might never know they existed without a closer examination of a place’s

Tracing U.S. Horse Racing History in Historic Aerial Imagery

Once you learn the shape, you can’t unsee it. A clean oval ghosting beneath cul-de-sacs, stitched into golf fairways, hiding behind warehouse rows. From above, the outline snaps into focus

Collapsed beach house on an eroding bluff along the shore of Lake Michigan near Montague, Michigan.

The Truth About Owning Waterfront Property

So you’ve found the perfect waterfront property and you’re already imagining the dock you’ll build, the backyard barbecues, the early‑morning kayak trips, and the long, quiet evenings by the water.